I have just been servicing a Daiwa Lochmor fly reel.
The model i have has a clutch with 2 blue coloured drag washers in it.
I need to know if there would be any benefit giving them a smear of cals drag grease or should i leave them dry
Leave dry. Those don't like grease, none of the non carbon drag washers do well with grease. Usually get sticky if greased in my trials.
Todd
i would recommend switching over to greased carbon fiber. try matching up the inside and outside diameters of the original washers with something from smoothdrag.com. you will have to cut the tabs by hand. add cal's grease and the you will have a perfect drag system.
I know that I am in the minority here, but I don't believe that carbon fiber is the only drag material for all situations. And CF is going to be overkill for this type of fly reel.
This is a USD $35 fly reel in sizes that do not require much drag, just preferably something not too sticky. The shape of the washers would require a custom cut from carbon fiber sheet or oversized washer. The CF could cost more than the reel, and it is not fun to cut these types of shapes by hand from CF, and you have to manage the health and safety issues of CF dust.
I would say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I wouldn't lube or clean the drag washers if they are working OK unless I knew the material.
Inexpensive Daiwa reels can have these drag washers that look like canvas surface with a phenolic core. They work well when clean and dry, not so well when dirty or lubed, as Todd (Hardy Boy) has noted.
If they are dirty and the drag is sticky, it might be worth the risk of making things worse by attempting to clean with isopropyl alcohol.
If I was going to make replacement hard friction washers, I would consider Delrin/acetal sheet for this situation. Fabulous characteristics for light drag situations, maintenance-free, inexpensive, and easy to shape if you are handy with a rotary tool and burrs. There were (are?) a few fly reels that came stock with Delrin drags.
-J